June 14 | 11am-4pm
Learn about the history of this important national holiday, commemorating the end of slavery in America.
Visit Historic Richmond Town to honor Juneteenth, featuring a day of special programs, including demonstrations of hearth cooking, discussions of social history, and historical reenactment. Learn about the history and origins of this holiday celebrating the end of American chattel slavery.
This year's event will feature special presentations by Living History Co, who will interpret the lives of Black soldiers of the U.S. Colored Troops who served in the American Civil War. Demonstrations of 19th century firearms will be featured throughout the day, and the historians will be encamped in the center of the village.
Historic houses and shops throughout the village will host special programs exploring the lives of tradespeople of color, jumping the broom traditions, basket making and oystering, and more.
Slavery was deeply rooted in the North American continent, beginning with Dutch colonization in the 17th Century. New York State abolished slavery in 1827, while other states in the South and elsewhere maintained the practice, and along with it, systems of oppression and racism. The American Civil War (1861-1865) was fought over the divisive issue of slavery, which resulted in the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and later the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery nationally.
Two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, on June 19, 1865, Union troops informed the people of Galveston, Texas that enslaved people were free. The jubilant celebrations of the day, known as Juneteenth, were heralded across the South and beyond, becoming a National Holiday in 2021.
General Orders No. 3, Issued by Union General Gordon Granger, June 19th, 1865 in Galveston, Texas.